Obama recently responded to the outrage over Rick Warren with the statement that “what we have to do is to be able to create an atmosphere where we can disagree without being disagreeable.” This reminds me of the millions of abused spouses and children who try to do this, with the hope that if they are just nicer to their abusive family member, maybe the abuse will stop.

This is why it hurts so badly for Obama to have chosen Rick Warren for the inaugural invocation. We know it won’t stop the abuse. We know that it will only empower and enable the abusers.

A commentary at CNN describes some of the positions held by Rick Warren:

He adamantly opposes a woman’s legal right to abortion and dismisses common-ground efforts to reduce the need for abortion by comparing them to accommodating the Holocaust. He is disrespectful of progressive people of faith, suggesting that they are tools of the Democratic Party or more Marxist than Christian.

… Warren, in an interview with Beliefnet.com, has since equated allowing loving same-sex couples to get married with redefining marriage to permit incest and pedophilia.

On censorship, the teaching of creationism in schools, reproductive rights, attributing government policy to God’s will and climate change, Palin agrees with Hamas and Saudi Arabia rather than supporting tolerance and democratic precepts. What is the difference between Palin and a Muslim fundamentalist? Lipstick.

I haven’t finished the process of breaking down all the issues yet. I admit to not giving the race for the presidency a lot of attention until the last month or so. But, you can count on one issue being on the top of my list when I line up the candidates side by side to compare their positions: how do they address the issue of the people’s right to life?

Now, you may already be writing me off as a Christian conservative, but, hold on. When I consider the right for each individual being to live, I’m not just talking about fetuses (which I do believe have that right), but, also about American citizens being forced to serve in Iraq, elderly people who can’t afford medication, hispanics who cross the border out of desperation, and blue collar workers who can’t afford proper medical care.

The worst thing somebody could do is claim that they are for protecting the lives of the unborn and vote for a candidate who says they also want to protect the unborn, but, then put hundreds or thousands of people in harm’s way for the sake of oil.

The fact that the American political system is flawed becomes apparent when you realize that bundled laws that aren’t even read by most lawmakers are being passed by the truckload and presidential candidates are burning millions of dollars just to make the point that they’re responsible enough to have the job of righting our economy, providing healthcare for people who can’t afford it, and feeding those whose cupboards are bare.

As Chris Cornell once sang so brilliantly several years ago, “The wreck is going down. Get out before you drown.”